


ςเภ๔єгรՇคг'ร ן๏ยгภєץ

by orphan_account



Series: Շђє קг๏קђєςเєร гєภєฬє๔ [2]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Gen, LGBTQ Cats (Warriors), RiverClan (Warriors), ShadowClan (Warriors), ShadowClan-centric (Warriors), SkyClan (Warriors), The Forest Territories (Warriors), ThunderClan (Warriors), Twolegplace (Warriors), WindClan (Warriors)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-23
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-04 18:09:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 6
Words: 5,202
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25470658
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: When Flowerleaf, Cinderstar's mother, is taken by twolegs, the young leader takes it upon herself to rescue her. But secrets lie in unexpected places...
Series: Շђє קг๏קђєςเєร гєภєฬє๔ [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1811977
Kudos: 1





	1. Prologue

{The cover/Cinderstar design}

Allegiances

ShadowClan

Leader: Cinderstar

Deputy: Crowheart

Medicine Cat: Cardinalsight

Warriors: Wavesplash, Thistlewhisker, Thornstreak, Burrnose, Flowerleaf, Volefur, Moleshout, Jaggedpelt, Larkstripe

Apprentices: Cherrypaw, Frogpaw, Toadpaw

~!~!~

Prologue

"Flowerleaf, I'm not sure wether you should be on patrol…" Cinderstar mewed.

"Aww, you know the kits and I'll be fine. There's a reason Crowheart assigned me to it."

"But-"

"Cinderstar, not even Thornstreak worries this much about me. I know you want me and your unborn brothers and sisters to be alright, but restricting what we can do isn't the way to go about it."

Cinderstar remained quiet as her mother stalked a crow, but the noise of her belly scraping along the ground scared it off.

"Fox-dung!" she cursed.

"Flowerleaf, you should get back. You can't catch much anyway."

"Maybe… Cinderstar, why are you so worried about me anyway?"

She squirmed. "It's just… I'm the your only surviving kit from your first litter. Both Pouncekit and Nutkit died not long after they were born… and Cardinalsight's worried too."

"Nonsense!"

"Flowerleaf, I know how you and Thornstreak feel about kits. You were lucky enough that Burrnose offered to father me, and then them. But if you two care so much, why are you blatantly endangering them?"

"Cinderstar, your mother and I would _never_ endanger our kits! And what do you know?! You don't have a mate! The closest you ever got to love was mentoring Larkstripe!" the silver molly snapped.

"Flowerleaf, you know I didn't mean it like that!" Cinderstar shouted as she ran away. "Flowerleaf? Flowerleaf?! Mama!" she shouted, calling her mother what she hadn't since she was a kit.

 _Mother would be heartbroken if Mama and the kits got hurt… and it would be all my fault!_ she thought as she bolted after Flowerleaf.

Cinderstar stopped when she reached the Carrionplace. The repulsive scent could reach her from even many fox-lengths away.

 _Why would she go in here?! She_ knows _about what the rats could do to her… great StarClan, this is all my fault…_

Cinderstar cautiously padded closer to the Carrionplace. The stench was absolutely revolting.

Suddenly, she heard a screech. She stealthily dashed over through the crow-food, to find Flowerleaf.

The pregnant she-cat had been picked up by a twoleg. It was making strange noises while stroking her fur.

Cinderstar watched as it took Flowerleaf into its monster a few more fox-lengths away, and sped down the Thunderpath… with Flowerleaf and her unborn kits inside.


	2. Chapter One

Cinderstar walked back into camp. How would she tell Thornstreak that Flowerleaf and their kits had been taken away by twolegs?

"Cinderstar! Look! I caught a squirrel!" Cherrypaw meowed proudly.

"Nice," the leader said. In truth, she had barely heard her. Her mind was focused entirely on the situation at hand.

"Where's Flowerleaf?" Cherrypaw asked.

"Oh, you don't need to worry about that."

Cherrypaw stared at her leader, and then padded back to her fellow apprentices.

"Cinderstar?" Thornstreak asked.

She turned to her mother. "Thornstreak... Hi. I... I need to talk to you."

Thornstreak tilted her head. "Of course. But... where's Flowerleaf?"

"Talk. In my den," Cinderstar said again.

"Alright, alright."

Once they entered her den, the older warrior set down in the soft moss nest, her gaze nervous. "Cinderstar, please. Where is my mate?"

Cinderstar gulped. She still hadn't figured out how she would break the news to Thornstreak.

"You see... she went into Carrionplace. And then... a twoleg abducted her. It drove off in its monster, with her inside..."

Thornstreak stared at Cinderstar. It reminded the leader of when she was just a kit, and she had slipped a thorn into Cedarstar's nest as a prank. Flowerleaf had been livid, but Thornstreak's stare was worse than any scolding.

Then the warrior dropped her gaze. "Cinderstar..."

"I'm sorry! It's my fault! I was arguing with her... and then she ran off..."

The tortoiseshell flicked a tail comfortingly on her daughter's shoulder. "Cinderstar, I know what she can be like. She's my mate after all." She sighed.

"I'll send out a patrol! We'll search every inch of ShadowClan territory!"

Thornstreak nodded. "Of course... but don't get your hopes up."

Cinderstar rushed out of the den, and onto the High Boulder.

"All cats old enough to stalk in the night, gather around!" she yowled.

The warriors of ShadowClan gathered around, and it inspired and intimidated her just as much as it had the first time she had led a Clan meeting. Crowheart, her supportive deputy smiled up at her. They had always had Cinderstar's back, and that was of course why Cinderstar had selected them as deputy.

Cardinalsight slipped out of his den. He had been medicine cat during Cedarstar's leadership, and had led Cinderstar to Mothermouth and the Moonstone for her nine lives ceremony.

Burrnose was technically her biological father, but he never talked about it. Flowerleaf and Thornstreak had thanked him a lot when she was born though (and probably before) for giving them the opportunity to raise a kit.

And of course, the other warriors and apprentices were her Clanmates as well, and therefor held a special place in her heart.

"I have grave news to share," Cinderstar began. "Flowerleaf has been stolen by a twoleg near Carrionplace."

The Clan murmured and gasped. Cherrypaw, Toadpaw, and Frogpaw began talking amongst themselves, most likely plotting a way to get the beloved queen back; Crowheart looked like they wanted to talk to Cinderstar to see if she was alright; Thornstreak was avoiding the haze of the other warriors; and Cardinalsight had his eyes squinted close.

"There will be some patrols to search for her. Jaggedpelt, you can-"

"Wait!" Cardinalsight interjected. "StarClan has shared an omen with me!"

A hush fell over ShadowClan as the medicine cat stepped forward. "Look at this flower leaf."

"That's called a petal, not a leaf!" Frogpaw corrected him.

"Quiet! For the sake of this omen, we'll call it a leaf." He shot a withering glare at the apprentice. "Look at this flower leaf. Do you see the thin layer of cinders that cover it?"

The Clan inched closer.

"There's a fire!" Moleshout yelped. "That's where the cinders came from!"

"I said quiet!" Cardinalsight snapped. "Do you see how the flower leaf is unaffected by the wind or rain?"

"It's affected by those cinders, though," Larkstripe pointed out.

"If I- Y'know what, Larkstripe? You're right."

"I am?!"

"Yes. The cinders _are_ affecting the flower leaf. They're keeping it safe." Cardinalsight looked up at Cinderstar. "You are the cinders! Flowerleaf is the leaf! You must go find her in twolegplace, and bring her home to ShadowClan!"

The Clan cheered. But Cinderstar couldn't make a noise. If she was the one who lost Flowerleaf, how was she ever supposed to find her again?

~!~!~

The next night, it was the night of the Gathering. Afterwards, Cinderstar was supposed to set out on her journey to find Flowerleaf.

She felt the heat of the gazes of an unknown number of cats staring holes into her pelt.

As she clawed her way up the Great Rock, she began the call to order.

"All cats gather around. Please," she began. It always seemed as though Cinderstar could say anything in front of her Clanmates, but put her in front of the four other Clans and she was a silent as a mouse. (At least, as silent as a mouse to an untrained kittypet. _Any good_ warrior could hear a mouse.)

"You heard her! Shut up!" Redstar hissed. The blue-gray molly flinched, even though she wasn't the target of the ThunderClan leader's yowl.

"ShadowClan has important news to share..."


	3. Chapter Two

"Do you have all the herbs Cardinalsight gave you?" Crowheart asked. "Do you think you have the monster's scent trail? What about hunting techniques?"

"Crowheart, I'll be fine!" Cinderstar said, more to convince herself than them.

"I'm your deputy, Cinderstar. It's not just that I care about you; I could also _never_ take your place as leader of ShadowClan."

Cinderstar nuzzled them. "And I appreciate your concern, and that you hold me in such high esteem. But _please_ ; give yourself some credit. You'll make a better stand-in leader than I make a real one."

"Crowheart? I need to talk to my daughter," Thornstreak interrupted them.

They moved away from Cinderstar, and let her mother take their place.

"I trust that you'll bring Flowerleaf home," the tortoiseshell molly whispered into her ear.

_No pressure at all,_ Cinderstar thought nervously. "Of course I will. She's my mother, like you."

Thornstreak broke away from her daughter's embrace and smiled sadly at her.

Cinderstar climbed up to the entrance of ShadowClan camp, and looked back. All of her Clanmates were watching her leave.

She sighed, and fled into the night.

~!~!~

Cinderstar paused when she reached the Thunderpath that separated ShadowClan and ThunderClan territory. She walked alongside it, until she reached the Thunderpath tunnel that ShadowClan used to reach Fourtrees for Gatherings.

She darted through it, and came up along the other side. She was in ThunderClan territory now.

She shuddered, as she did every time she had to pass through ThunderClan territory alone, which wasn't often. Though she was a mere kit when Lionstar ruled over ThunderClan, and eventually all the Clans, she still remembered the tails of blood and loss, meaningless death and sacrifice, and festering hatred.

He was gone now; dead. But Redstar was rumored to be going down the same path, that her 'father' did before her.

It was all stories, though. Redstar might be an irresponsible fox-heart, but she was still a loyal leader and warrior. She was _nothing_ like him.

Cinderstar paused when she picked up the scent of a ThunderClan patrol.

"C'mon Foxsnap. The borders aren't going to mark themselves," a tom growled. "We don't need another lovestruck kittypet wandering into out territory!"

She froze. She remembered Redstar's talk of a kittypet at the Gathering.

"Stupid Oakblood," a warrior hissed. "He ruins some _kittypet's_ eye, and suddenly he's StarClan's gift to the Clans. Not likely!"

"Shhhh, Lightningcall. Don't let him hear you say that. Or else he'll blind you too."

"He didn't even blind her! Only _one_ eye, one, got scratched up!"

Cinderstar relaxed as the warriors' bickering got quieter and quieter, signaling that the patrol was gone.

She continued through ThunderClan territory. The sun rose higher and higher into the sky. It was sunhigh by the time she reached SkyClan.

Cinderstar needed to rest, but she couldn't; not until she got out of SkyClan territory.

After the sun had fallen lower in the sky, she was just finally out of SkyClan territory. According to Cardinalsight, the twolegplace wasn't to much farther away.

Suddenly, she heard barking in the distance. _I need to find a safe place to rest, and quickly,_ she thought.

When moonrise rolled around, the barking was too close for comfort. Cinderstar clumsily clambered her way up a tree. She was no SkyClan cat, but every apprentice in every Clan was taught what to do in case of a dog attack at a young age.

When the dog came, it barely glanced at Cinderstar. All its attention was focused...

On two cats. A pregnant queen and a tom.

Cinderstar cursed under her breath. The dog was small, yes; but it would still be difficult for her to drive it away. Luckily, it looked like she would have help.

The silver molly scrabbled down the tree, and then bolted to the dog. She nipped at its back paws.

The dog turned to her and Cinderstar realized that she might have just sacrificed herself to save a pair of rogues.

_StarClan help me!_ she prayed while shutting her eyes tightly closed.

"Get back you filthy mongrel!"

The dog yipped. Cinderstar opened her eyes to see that the tom had chased away the dog.

She padded over to him. "T-thank you-"

"Thank me? _You're_ the one who helped us," he answered.

The tom was quite muscular, and almost bigger than the dog. He had a halfway to long pelt of fur that was midnight black, and a long, bushy tail, with dark green eyes.

"Dusk, do you know this cat?" the queen asked as she approached.

"No, Cloudstep. I don't. But she helped distract that dog."

_Cloudstep? That's a warrior name!_ Cinderstar thought.

Cloudstep looked Cinderstar over. "Wait... aren't you Cinderpetal, the ShadowClan warrior?"

"Well, I-I'm Cinderstar now..."

"You're the ShadowClan leader? That means Cedarstar died... But if you're leader, what are you doing all the way out here?"

Cinderstar straightened up. "Flowerleaf, a ShadowClan queen, was taken by twolegs. I'm on a journey to find her."

"Wouldn't that be a better duty for a warrior? Or have the Clans really changed that much since my time in RiverClan?"

"An omen from StarClan said it was my job."

Cloudstep laughed, and then abruptly stopped. "Sorry, it's nothing. Anyway, do you know where Flowerleaf is?"

Cinderstar licked her chest sheepishly. "Well... no, I don't."

"Let me guess: StarClan will show you the way?" She sighed, and turned to her mate. They began whispering, and Cinderstar strained to hear snippets of the conversation.

_"Fox-dung... Kits... Take her in... Can't help her... The Tribe will find 'er..."_

Finally, Cloudstep and Dusk turned back to Cinderstar. "We'll give you a place to stay, for a little while, at least. Once you think you know where Flowerleaf is, you can continue on your journey. Until then, it won't hurt to have another cat around."

"Thank you."

"It's no problem."

Cinderstar followed the loners until they eventually reached the twolegplace. They snuck into an abandoned twoleg nest on the edge of the twolegplace.

Cinderstar found a discarded nest, laid down, and closed her eyes.

_StarClan, please, give me a sign; where is Flowerleaf?_


	4. Chapter Three

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Trigger warning for mentions of intense homophobia.

"Cinderstar? Cinderstar..."

The leader snapped her head up, to come face-to-face with Cloudstep. The piercing icy eyes sent a shiver down her spine.

"W-what is it?" she asked. She was still a bit shaken from all that had happened.

"If you're gonna stay with us, you need to pull your own weight. And that means hunting."

Cinderstar nodded rapidly. "Of course!" She rose up to her full height, which wasn't much. "So, where are the best places to hunt?"

"Obviously, not here," Cloudstep answered. "Dusk! Can you show Cinderstar the stream?"

The large tom padded over from his shared nest with Cloudstep. "I can but..." His voice dropped down to a whisper Cinderstar had to strain to hear. "What if they come back?"

"They _won't_ ," Cloudstep said sharply. "They don't know where we are... those dogs scared them away from following us."

Cinderstar winced. Cloudstep and Dusk realized she had been listening to them, and turned back to her.

"I'll... I'll show you around. Follow me."

Cinderstar followed Dusk, but looked back at Cloudstep. The queen had already settled down, though she remained alert.

"Who was the _them_ that you were talking about?" Cinderstar asked once they slipped through the opening in the walls of the twoleg nest.

"Nothing. Just a group of rogues with a superiority complex and a code of 'honor', that's all."

"The Clans?"

"No. These cats are... different."

Cinderstar got the feeling Dusk didn't want to talk about it, so she dropped the subject.

Dusk led her the way they had come through the twolegplace, but then made a turn.

"Where're we going, anyway?"

"You'll see."

After more walking, they came across a small stream that ran on the edge of twolegplace.

"I can't fish," Cinderstar said, realizing what Dusk had in mind.

"That's what I said when Cloudstep first showed me this place. But I've learned."

Cinderstar hesitated. "I-I-" How did she explain to him the stories of what had happened to cats like her parents? What would happen to them all those moons ago...

~!~!~

_"What do you mean, those are your parents?" Cloudpaw asked. "They're both she-cats."_

_Cinderpaw turned with a questioning look at the ThunderClan tom. "So?"_

_"So, that's not how it works." He raised up his snout. "I'm a medicine cat apprentice, and three moons older than you. I know how things work."_

_"Then you're wrong!" Cinderpaw said. "Flowerleaf and Thornstreak raised me! They told me stories, got prey for me, told Cardinalsight when I was sick..."_

_Cloudpaw scowled._

_Later that night, when Cinderpaw had returned home from the Gathering, she approached Thornstreak, and told her about the argument with Cloudpaw. Thornstreak sighed._

_"Cinderpaw... Cloudpaw_ is _older then you. Which means... he was alive during Lionstar's leadership over ThunderClan."_

_"So?"_

_"Lionstar... he wasn't a very nice cat. He... did things. To cats like me and your mother, or Cedarstar and Eagleswoop."  
_

_"What do you mean cats like you and Flowerleaf?"_

_"Well... most toms like she-cats, and most she-cats like toms. But some she-cats, like your mother, like other she-cats, and some like both. The same goes for toms." She sighed again. "Most cats are fine with this... but Lionstar knew that some cats thought it was a bit weird. He took advantage of that... He would say things. Say things to cause rifts within Clans. And ThunderClan... it hasn't fixed the rifts yet. It hasn't healed from what Lionstar's done."_

_"You're not gonna tell her everything?"_

_Cinderpaw and Thornstreak turned to face Flowerleaf._

_"She's only a bit over six moons old..."_

_"She's old enough to know, then," Flowerleaf said. She turned to her daughter. "Lionstar drowned cats. He drowned them in the river."_

~!~!~

"Cinderstar, do you not know how to swim? Look, the water's not that deep... Wait, no, I'm just tall."

Cinderstar reluctantly padded over near the stream, and gazed into its waters. She flinched. _I really do look like Flowerleaf..._

"I can teach you how to fish. You don't have to swim, just stand on the streambank..."

Cinderstar turned to face him. "Okay."

So, Dusk taught Cinderstar how to fish. She wasn't the greatest student, or even a good one, but she tried.

"I'm sorry that I didn't catch anything."

"Nah, it's fine. We're just lucky Cloudstep hasn't had her kits yet. Then there'd be even _more_ mouths to feed."

Cinderstar laughed, and cleared her mind of the memory of what Flowerleaf had told her...

~!~!~

"This is great fish. Thanks for getting it, Dusk, Cinderstar."

"I didn't catch any. It was all Dusk."

Cloudstep paused. "Well then, thank you, Dusk. I'm sure Cinderstar will catch some more tomorrow.

Cinderstar padded over to her nest and closed her eyes.

_It's been a day... and I don't know anything about where Flowerleaf is,_ she thought. _What if she's kitted in a twoleg nest? Her kits to become kittypets... No. I won't let that happen. No matter what, when her kits open their eyes, my brothers and sisters will see the faces of their Clanmates. I'll make sure of it._


	5. Chapter Four

"Hello, Cinderstar."

The grey tabby snapped her head up from her slumber. However, she didn't find herself within the abandoned twoleg nest. She was in a dark forest, with a dark sky blotted out by trees, and an eerie wind blowing through it.

In front of her stood a dappled white and black she-cat. However, unnatural black streaks ran like tears across her face and fur. She was staring at Cinderstar with a pitiful expression on her face.

"W-who're you?"

"I am Violetrose. Welcome to StarClan."

Cinderstar looked around. She had been in StarClan before, for things like her nine lives ceremony. This looked nothing like StarClan.

"Why did you bring me here?" Cinderstar asked sharply. Or, as sharply as she could manage. The she-cat, Violetrose, she looked nice enough, but there was something, something _wrong_ about her that Cinderstar just couldn't put her claw on.

"You seek your mother, Flowerleaf, correct?"

Cinderstar nodded slowly.

"I have found her. In the deepest pits of the twolegplace, where the risen blood nests, she lies captive." Violetrose's eyes sparkled with a gleam that almost looked sadistic. "However, they will not be your only enemies. The fallen stars also seek any Code Breakers... and you might just qualify."

"W-what?!" Cinderstar stuttered, shocked and confused. "Risen blood? Fallen stars? Code Breakers? What do you mean? Where's my mother?!"

"All in good time. For now, head to where the twoleg nests rise above the clouds themselves. That is where the deepest pits of the twolegplace lie." Violetrose's smile grew into a malicious grin as Cinderstar's vision faded. "'Till we meet again..."

Cinderstar's head snapped up as soon as she felt her conscious returning. What Violetrose had said repeated in her mind over and over, imprinting itself.

"Cinderstar?" Dusk asked as he dropped a mouse in front of her nest. "Are you okay? You look really startled."

Normally, Cinderstar would have assured him everything was thing, as she was so used to doing with her Clanmates. But the possibility of finding Flowerleaf and that she might be endangered sent a rush through her.

"StarClan has given me a sign," she said, her voice shaking as she recalled everything Violetrose had told her. "Flowerleaf, s-she's where the 'risen blood' nests, in a humongous twolegplace, with twoleg nests rise above the clouds themselves!"

Dusk nodded. "I know the place you're speaking of. Twolegs call it a 'city.'" He hesitated. "But... not only is it very far from here, but from what I've heard, it's dangerous as well. Monsters rushing through crowded streets, both dogs, cats, and other creatures inhabiting the dark alleyways, and..." He hesitated again, but this time more fear crept into his eyes. It made Cinderstar shiver. She had never seen him look scared, especially not a level of this intensity. "BloodClan," he whispered.

"BloodClan?" Cinderstar's ears perked up.

Dusk nodded. "They're worse than the rogues I told you about yesterday. At least those rogues had some misguided sense of honor, of justice. BloodClan cats have none of that. They only know how to kill and breed."

Cinderstar shivered again. "If they have Flowerleaf..."

Dusk turned away. "If what your 'StarClan' tells you is true, then don't even bother. She's already dead by now."

"No! I refuse to believe it!" Cinderstar shouted.

"Why are you making all this racket?" Cloudstep grumbled. _All the shouting must have woken her up_ , Cinderstar thought.

"StarClan says Cinderstar's mother has been captured by BloodClan."

Cloudstep stared Dusk in the eye. "And?"

"She's gone, Cloudstep. Don't you remember the stories I told you?"

"But did you live those stories? Dusk, those stories could be hundreds of moons old. Passed down, growing more exaggerated with each telling." Cloudstep grunted. Dusk was about to make a comment, but she interrupted. "It's nothing. Just the kits moving around. Anyway, I say Cinderstar goes."

"By herself?" Dusk asked, incredulous.

"No, you mouse-brain! We'll go with her."

"But... the kits."

"We'll be careful. Plus..." Cloudstep's voice got lower. "I overheard something last night... some kittypets were talking about _them_." Cinderstar tensed. _She must mean those rogues!_ "One of them said something about kits... That dumb Steve, remember how he flirted with me so much when we first moved here, until you knocked some sense into him? But, Steve, he said that the Tribe was going to take the kits, y'know, the ones his twolegs adopted? But, they're close, Dusk. We need to get away."

Dusk sighed, lost in thought. He turned back to Cinderstar after what seemed like seasons.

"Fine. We leave today."

~!~!~

_Cinderkit could hear them. The noises. The terrible, screeching, bloodcurdling noises._

_They were screams. But she didn't know that, or what screams were. All she knew was that one of them, the two cats who cared for her, was pushing her and the smaller hers into a nook in the warm space._

_The smaller hers were her littermates, the warm space the nursery, and the caring cats her mothers, Flowerleaf and Thornstreak. But Cinderkit, like with the screams, was oblivious to these facts._

_But she wasn't oblivious to the sudden air next to her, where one of her littermates was. And how suddenly, there was another space of air._

_She mewed, but a paw flew to her mouth. She recognized it as one of the caring cats._

_But the other_ thing _in the warm space, she didn't recognize it. And she didn't recognize the fear and anger the caring cat was feeling._

_"You_ monster _!"_

_"Am I? What's your name, anyway? Bornstick?"_

_She growled. "Get away, Lionstar. You- you already killed her littermates!"_

_"Ah, but I haven't killed her, have I? Or you, for that matter. Or your unnatural_ mate _, if you can call it that."_

_She growled again, deeper, and far more grating on Cinderkit's ears this time. "Get out. Get out of the nursery. Get out of camp. Get out of our territory. Get out of the forest, you fox-hearted, piece of crow-food mongrel."_

_Lionstar feigned offense. "Oh my! As_ mean _as your words are... I think I'll stay."_

_Suddenly, a silver flash overcame the small, lithe tom._

_Of course, Cinderstar didn't see this. But she heard it. She heard the grunt of Lionstar's attacker. She heard the rasps of his breathing, growing raspier, until they fully stopped._

_And then, they came back again, stronger then before._

_"Oh my. You managed to take one of my lives. Impressive."_

_"I'll do it again."_

_Lionstar sighed. "I guess I won't kill you, then. But perhaps my Clanmates will."_

_Cinderkit felt a tiny bit safer as he, if you could even call something as terrible as him, left the nursery, and then, ShadowClan camp._

_While as time went on she forgot the memory, she never forgot the feeling it left her with._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> LIONSTAR YOU BEKEUHBRH#BU! I hate you now. I mean, I already did. And eventually, I'm gonna have to write a fic about your backstory. Oof.
> 
> So, I'm really enjoying writing this. It is... darker than I anticipated. But I still think it's... I dunno how to describe it.
> 
> Anyway, I hope you enjoyed! Until next time!


	6. Chapter Five

Cinderstar was silent as Dusk and Cloudstep got ready to leave. They seemed to be trying to hide all reminders that they lived in the abandoned twoleg nest.

But, they couldn't hide the scent.

What Cloudstep had said made her wonder even more about the 'Tribe.' What were their real goals? Why did they want some kits?

She tried to focus on the positives, but there weren't many. She was closer to finding Flowerleaf? But she was in the heart of 'BloodClan' in a humongous twolegplace, and had been for who knows how long. Only StarClan knew how she had gotten there.

And, if Dusk was right, the journey to the 'city' would take a long time. What if something happened to Flowerleaf or her unborn kits by then?

"We're ready," Dusk finally said.

Cinderstar uncurled her tail from around her paws and got up.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Dusk asked one last time.

She nodded. "I have to. It's my destiny."

Dusk sighed. "Alright. For today, we'll reach the beginning of the Great Thunderpath."

Cinderstar perked up her ears. She had heard of the Great Thunderpath. It was where millions of Thunderpaths met, and combined to become one big one. Supposedly, it was just beyond WindClan territory.

"That means we'll skirt the Clan's territory," she said.

Dusk looked at her, confused. "No, that's not right. The Great Thunderpath is farther along the twolegplace."

"Wait... Cinderstar, you're talking about the Great Thunderpath past WindClan, correct?" Cloudstep asked. "I think... like there are multiple Thunderpaths, there might be multiple Great Thunderpaths."

Dusk nodded thoughtfully. "That's possible. But even if she's wrong, I know where the city and the Great Thunderpath _I'm_ talking about is."

"What do we do after we reach the Great Thunderpath?" Cinderstar inquired.

"We'll stop just before it. Then, we'll follow it, until eventually, it reaches the city," he explained. "But, the Great Thunderpath is long... it will take days, even moons, to reach the city. And that's assuming it's a smooth journey."

"Then we leave now."

~!~!~

_Cinderpaw shrieked as Crowpaw bit into her scruff._

_"Stop! Crowpaw, you did great. Cinderpaw..." Eagleswoop's voice trailed off._

_She glanced up at her mentor. Eagleswoop looked like he wanted to criticize her actions during the 'battle', but something was stopping him._

_"Crowpaw, Cinderpaw, you two can go and hunt. Come back here with what you have, and give me an honest report of the other's skill."_

_Cinderpaw bounced excitedly alongside the older apprentice. Even though they had littermates, Crowpaw was closer to Cinderpaw then any of them. Some cats remarked about how they would be mates when they were older, but Cinderpaw disagreed. And, as far as she knew, Crowpaw felt the same._

_She felt like they were better as friends. That they were closer to a leader and deputy then two mates._

_Still, she felt a twinge of jealously whenever Crowpaw hung out with their littermates. Not because they weren't allowed to be friends with other cats, but because they_ had _littermates to hang out with._

_No cat had ever told her what happened to hers. Even though Thornstreak said they died shortly after they were born, Flowerleaf always looked like she wanted to argue, as though it wasn't true._

_Cinderpaw couldn't help but wonder what it was like to have littermates. Would she be as close to them as she was to Crowpaw? Closer? Would they tag along with her on patrol and at Gatherings?_

_But, wondering was all she could do. She would never have littermates._

_At least, that's what she used to think._

_Once, after she had a nightmare of Redstar from ThunderClan launching an attack on them and she slept in the warrior's den with her mothers, she overheard them talking._

_"Cinderpaw's so lonely."_

_"I know. She has Crowpaw, but..." Flowerleaf sighed._

_"Maybe... Burrnose could help us again?"_

_"Maybe. She wouldn't be as close to those siblings as littermates... but, in any case, we should wait."_

_From then on, Cinderpaw wondered when the time would come for her to finally have siblings._

_But, as moons passed, it never happened._

_At least, not until she was Cinderstar._

~!~!~

"Stop," Dusk hissed.

Cinderstar crouched down next to Cloudstep. She winced a bit when she noticed how it seemed that the queen's belly scraped the ground. Hopefully, her kits wouldn't come until _after_ they had rescued Flowerleaf.

"Stoneshine, we have the report ready."

"Yes, Selena?"

Cinderstar could tell how close the rogues were from their voices. But Stoneshine... wasn't that the name of the ex-RiverClan deputy? That must mean...

"We still can't tell which kit came from the lab. All of them act like... well, kits."

Stoneshine growled. "Keep watch. If when they begin reaching the age of intelligence, and they still haven't revealed any signs..." She hissed. "Kill the kittypets staying with them, and take them for ourselves. We'll have to figure it out from there."

"Yes, but..."

" _You're_ the one who brought me a useless blind kit."

Cinderstar winced as she heard claws scraping the ground. She couldn't tell wether it was Stoneshine or Selena.

"Starless has proved to be of great value to the Tribe. He's better than most of our members with sight."

"If that's what you believe. But if he doesn't start to _really_ pull his weight around here..."

Cinderstar relaxed as the voices began fading. She turned to Cloudstep and Dusk, only to see them frozen.

"We have to warn them!" Dusk said.

"Who?"

"Steve and Lea! That's who they were talking about!"

"We're too far. You said we're almost to the Great Thunderpath." Cloudstep licked her mate's cheek comfortingly. "I'm sure they can handle some rogues."

Dusk sighed. "Fine. Then let's get going. Again."


End file.
